ICQ - Product Description ICQ is a revolutionary, user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who's on-line at any time and enables you to contact them at will. No longer will you search in vain for friends or associates on the Net. ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real time when they log on. The need to conduct a directory search each time you want to communicate with a specific person is eliminated.

With ICQ, you can chat, send messages, files and URL's, play games, or just hang out with your fellow 'Netters' while still surfing the Net.

It lets you choose the mode of communication you wish to employ. Regardless of the application, be it chat, voice, whiteboard, data conferencing, file transfer or Internet games, ICQ will get your entire message across in real time.

ICQ supports a variety of popular Internet applications and serves as a Universal Platform from which you can launch any peer- to- peer application (such as Microsoft NetMeeting or Netscape CoolTalk).

It can also be used in a multiple-user mode, so groups can conduct conferences or just 'hang out' on-line.

The program runs in the background, taking up minimal memory and Net resources. While you work with other applications, ICQ alerts you when friends and associates log in, allowing you to work efficiently while maintaining a wide range of Internet functions at your fingertips. Among the functions available are: chat, message, e-mail, and URL and file transfer.

All these functions are consolidated into one easy-to-use program that integrates smoothly into desktop systems.

How does it work? It's simple. When you install ICQ, the program asks you to register at a server, which is connected to a broad network of servers spanning the Internet. At the time of registration, you receive a unique UIN (Universal Internet Number). In addition, ICQ gives you the option of entering personal information along with your UIN. This allows other ICQ users to recognize you when you log on.

Once you've registered, you can compile a selected list of friends and associates. ICQ uses this list to find your friends for you. Meanwhile, ICQ waits quietly in the background without interrupting any other applications in use. As soon as you log onto the Internet, ICQ automatically detects the Internet connection, announces your presence to the Internet community and alerts you when friends sign on or off.

Once you know who's on, all it takes is a click of an icon to initiate chat, implement URL transfers, send messages , exchange files, or launch any external peer-to-peer applications.

The ICQ Server Network The ICQ technology is based on a proprietary server and database network. The ICQ network was designed as a global solution for a large number of users. 'By routing all inter-user communications as peer-to-peer, we take the load off the servers, enabling them to support a huge number of users' says Vice President of R&D, Yair Goldfinger.